FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Software Questions

Calculation questions

Muhurta Questions

Panchang Questions

Payment and Billing Questions

Privacy Questions

General answers

What is this site?

This site is meant to help spread the vedanga of jyotish (vedic knowledge). With that goal in mind, the web software:

None of this would be possible without the support of the parampara. Special thanks to Pt. Sanjay Rath, Visti Larsen, and Freedom Cole and many others.

What are the latest changes?

The latest changes are available here

When are you going to build X?

The current roadmap is here.

Is there an app? How do I access this on mobile?

Just open up https://deva.guru in your mobile browser. The app is still being tested.

How do I contact you?

Send an email to tj at deva guru or join the telegram chat.

How long does it take to respond to an email?

So far, I’ve responded to all email in 48 hours. If you haven’t heard back, check your junk mail or spam folder.

Software answers

How stable is the software?

The software has been used for professional services since roughly mid-2020.

Are there bugs?

I’m not Ganesh, so yes, there will be bugs.

How do I report a bug?

If something doesn’t work properly, please send an email

What browsers are supported?

Firefox 75+, IE Edge, Chrome for Android 80+, and IOS Safari (13.0+) seem to work reasonably well.

What is muhurta search?

A muhurta is a time to begin an activity. If you are looking for a particular time, the muhurta search can help you locate the exact positions you are looking for instead of having to search for them manually. This simplifies finding optimal muhurtas for ceremonies, griha pravesh, etc.

How accurate is the panchang?

The monthly panchang has to calculate hundreds of values and is using approximate values accurate to a within a minute. If you need the exact timings, you must click through to the full chart.

Known bugs

How do I change the chart style?

Next to each chart simply click on the

Change chart style

How do I share a chart with someone?

The following steps will make a public link for a chart.

How many cities are supported?

Several million.

How can I see 4 chakras on my laptop?

You can change the number the chakras by adjusting the zoom level on your browser. For Firefox and Chrome, you can do this by pressing “Ctrl” key and “+” or “-“. In Safari, this would be the “Command” key and “+” or “-“.

What are the symbols in the “Graha Info” box?

The fire symbol indicates combustion or astanga and the swords symbol indicates a potential graha yuddha.

What does alpha/beta mean?

Any item marked as beta has been tested, however, may need some changes in the future in either the options or calculations. Please report any errors.

Any item marked with alpha means that no tests have been written and the calculations have not been verified. Use at your own risk.

Will you open source this software?

Not at this time.

Where are my Jagannath Hora files on Windows 10?

Usually, the Jagannath Hora files C:\Program Files x86\Jagannath Hora\data. However, sometimes you need to check a different directory to find your data. First, you may need to allow yourself to see the hidden folders in windows explorer. After that, you would be able to find your data at: “This PC” -> “C:” -> “Users” -> Your username directory -> “AppData” -> “Local” -> “VirtualStore” -> “Program Files(x86)” -> “Jagannath Hora” -> “data”

Can you add feature/calculation X to the software?

There is a wide variety of jyotish software available for every platform, of varying levels of polish, accuracy, and features. These encompass many different calculations and variations that span many parampara, both in India and outside. Given that, at the current juncture, one can obtain any of these software with little difficulty, and they would satisfy the needs of most people, we don’t presume to have the burden of building our software to be all things to all people. Instead, we are building something that we hope will stand the test of time, and that conspicuously adheres to Vedic principles of Jyotish.

Our background is that we are students of Pandit Sanjay Rath, of the Sri Acyutananda tradition of Orissa, tracing back to the Konarka temple. More details about our lineage can be found at https://shrifreedom.org/freedom-cole/lineage/. Naturally, our learning from the parampara will color our views of what is included in our software and what is not. We like to think of ourselves as open minded, but of course, we have our limits. Otherwise what we build will become a soulless conglomeration of calculations, adhering to no unifying principle except the standard capitalism we are all familiar with - increase revenue, customers and revenue per user at all cost.

With this in mind, we would like to clarify what happens when on occasion we receive requests for certain calculations, or variations of what we already include. We evaluate all these scrupulously on a case by case basis, in order to decide what is included, but the bottom line is that it has to be Jyotish. A calculation has to be contained in the set of ideas, techniques, and philosophy that maintain commonality and similarity with each other, that we call Jyotish. These ideas are expounded on in shastra such as BPHS, Upadesa Sutras, Saravali, Brihat Jataka, Jataka Parijata, Phaladeepika, Prasna Marga, and any puranas, but this is by no means an exhaustive list, nor does it mean we exclude something originating from a parampara with purely oral traditions (such as ours). We do not mind including research from some parampara, or anything passed down in an oral tradition as long as it is clear that it resides within the general framework of Vedic philosophy and Jyotish vedanga and is not something manufactured with no basis. In this sense, think of us as curators of Jyotish techniques, but with strict sensibilities.

Calculation Answers

What ayanamsa are you using?

Lahiri-chitrapaksa (true chitrapaksa).

Will you support multiple ayanamsas?

Multiple ayanamsas are supported in the Hora version.

How are positions calculated?

The position of the graha are calculated with the lahiri-chitrapaksa ayanamsa and from the apparent positions from the center of the earth. The apparent position accounts for the time that light takes to travel from the planetary body to earth.

What is combustion?

Combustion is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when a graha is no longer visible in the night sky when it is too close to the sun. This information is given in chapter 9 of Surya Siddhanta and can differ based on the forward or retrograde motion.

How do you calculate the hora lord?

There are actually three different ways of calculating the hora lord each used for different purposes based on whether it depends on sunrise and sunset.

  1. Depends on sunrise only. Since this does not depend on the sunset, it starts from sunrise and proceeds in 60 minute increments.
  2. Depends on sunrise and sunset. Since this depends on both sunrise and sunset, the hora will have not have fixed length. Sunrise to sunset will have one length, while sunset to sunrise have another. The hora will start with sunrise.
  3. Depends on neither sunrise or sunset. This starts at 6am and increments every 60 minutes.

The hora lord is based on the number of hours passed from sunrise starting from the vara lord and proceeding with the graha in order of descending velocity. The hours are fixed at 60 minutes and do not depend on sunset.

Some other apps use calculation 2 for the panchang while this site uses calculation 1.

What is the kala hora?

Hora can also be without reference to sunrise and sunset. This hora calculation takes sunrise to be fixed at 6 am. However, there are two additional ways in which this can be calculated.

  1. We can use “local standard time” (LST) which ascribes 6 am to be based on the timezone and various daylight savings adjustments.
  2. We can also use “local noon” (LN) where we calculate 6 am based on local noon.

The author prefers to use the local noon calculation.

How do you calculate the kala?

The kala chakra order is su, ma, jp, me, ve, sa, mo, ra There are 8 in the day and 8 in the night. The time period for the day kalas are (sunrise - sunset) / 8 and the time period for the night kalas are (sunset - next_sunrise) / 8 The kalas of the day start from the vara lord. The kalas of the night start from the 5th from the vara lord. Both day and night proceed clockwise around the kala chakra.

What is the supported date range?

Years -9999 to 9999 are supported.

However, the calendar system may be different in other software.

Below are two examples of the calendar representations. The bolded date will give the expected result.

Kṛṣṇa :

Akbar the Great:

Why are the amsa devata different than my other software/books?

This software is using the names given by the sanksrit shlokas rather than the names given by the translated versions. For instance, in the D60 devata, the 39th is listed as “pūrṇa-candra”. However, in the shloka itself, it is called “pūrṇa-niśākara” (this is true in both the Sharma and Santhanam translations). Sometimes the translation gives the name “surya”, however, the shloka gives the name “arka” which is another name of surya. If you think there’s an error in the direct transliteration of the names from the shlokas, please let me know.

The D60 list differs from the Santhanam translation from the 50th devata. On pg 54, stanza 37 of Santhanam, the word “mukhyo” is used but ignored in the list provided by Santhanam. This devata is used in the list provided by Pt. Sanjay Rath and Amr̥ta-payodhi is taken to be a single devata. Although it is split over two lines on stanza 39 in the Santhanam edition, Pt. Sanjay Rath indicated that the publishing/printing of the sanskrit is likely incorrect. Other discrepancies in the sanskrit between the Sharma and Santhanam editions include Ardra (26th devata). For these reasons, we’ve published the list that follows the sanskrit more clearly rather than the translations as demonstrated by Pt. Sanjay Rath.

What is the hoḍa chakra?

It is a set of syllables for each pada of a nakshatra. There are various sources that have minor differences. The final chakra used was from https://shrifreedom.org/vedic-astrology/mantra/hoda-chakra/

What are the alternate arudhas?

The main arudhas are given by the reflection of the lord of the sign. The alternate arudhas are given generally by the nodes and are marked with an underline. For instance, vrichika and kumbha have two lords each. The alternate arudhas given by Ra and Ke are marked with an underline. There’s also another additional option for giving the arudhas from the mulatrikona lord for vrshabha, kanya, and mina. Since these are Mo, Ra, and Ke respectively, we mark all of these with an underline also.

How do you calculate the tithi pravesh?

There are two conditions to satisfy to find the tithi pravesh:

However, some signs are shorter or longer than others which causes multiple or no tithi pravesh to be found. In this case, we use the mala principle. In every month, there is an amavasya, which allows for the cleaning of the month.

Assume that the sun in in Virgo at birth.

Note that there will be a warning shown when there is a mala tithi pravesh and you can adjust as necessary.

How do you calculate the sphutas?

Sphuta Calculation Reference Notes
Prana As x 5 + gk Prasna Marga Part 1, Ch 5, Verse 19, pg. 163 Additional variations are shown in verses 20-22 and also pg. 249
Deha Mo x 8 + gk Prasna Marga Part 1, Ch 5, Verse 19, pg. 163 Additional variations are shown in verses 20-22 and also pg. 249
Mrityu gk x 7 + Su Prasna Marga Part 1, Ch 5, Verse 19, pg. 163 Additional variations are shown in verses 20-22 and also pg. 249
Tri As + Mo + gk Prasna Marga Part 1, Ch 5, Verse 17-18, pg. 162
Chatus Tri + Su Prasna Marga Part 1, Ch 5, Verse 17-18, pg. 162
Panch Chatus + Ra Prasna Marga Part 1, Ch 5,Verse 17-18, pg. 162
Sukhsma Trisphuta Prana + Deha + Mrityu Prasna Marga Part 1, Appendix, pg. 702
Yoga Su + Mo + Sa Prasna Marga Part 1, Appendix, pg. 707 Indicates the sum of two points - pg 311.
Bija See reference Prasna Marga Part 2, Ch 19, Verse 5,9,11 pg. 97 Addition of the 3 parts of elapsed nakshatra
Bija Tāra See reference Prasna Marga Part 2, Ch 19, Verse 5,9,11 pg. 97 Averaging of the 3 parts of elapsed nakshatra
Bija Yoga See reference Prasna Marga Part 2, Ch 19, Verse 5,9,11 pg. 97 Straight addition of longitudes
Kshetra See reference Prasna Marga Part 2, Ch 19, Verse 5,9,11 pg. 97 Addition of the 3 parts of elapsed nakshatra
Kshetra Tāra See reference Prasna Marga Part 2, Ch 19, Verse 5,9,11 pg. 97 Averaging the 3 parts of elapsed nakshatra
Kshetra Yoga See reference Prasna Marga Part 2, Ch 19, Verse 5,9,11 pg. 97 Straight addition of longitudes
Kala See reference Prasna Marga Part 1, pg 167 More research needed
Santana Su/Mo/Tithi See reference Prasna Marga Part 2, Ch 19, pg 109 Not implemented at this time.

How do you calculate the velocity%?

The velocity % is based on the current longitudinal velocity divided by the average velocity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planets_in_astrology#Daily_motion is incorrect for Me and Ve.

The average velocity of the grahas based on the speed at midnight from 1900-2100 are:

Graha Degrees/day
Su 0°59’8’’ (0.985608235827358)
Mo 13°10’35’’ (13.176404401210586)
Ma 0°31’26’’ (0.5237984622356734)
Me 0°59’10’’ (0.9860065818020693)
Jp 0°4’60’’ (0.08319592078852339)
Ve 0°59’9’’ (0.9857931126635223)
Sa 0°2’1’’ (0.03360972270041907)
Ra -0°3’11’’ (-0.05299198558774121)
Ke -0°3’11’’ (-0.05299198558774121)

Payment and Billing Questions

Is there a free trial?

Yes, there is an 18-day free trial. During the trial, you will see “Trial Account” in the top right and the number of days remaining on the accounts page. After the trial is over, you may continue to use the site with the Kāla Edition or upgrade to a paid version.

Do you offer any annual discounts, promotions, or sales?

Our policy is to be like Surya and that means to be as consistent as possible. Everyone should know what to expect. Surya is the destroyer of rajas and we do not want any rajas or tamas to influence the software in any way. This includes having a marketplace, promotions, discounts†, sales, bulk sales, advertising, or upselling which would result in undue influence or thinking on the lines of Buddha.

Thinking about money changes our gunas and then we can’t really focus on jyotish. So we’ve made it super-easy to join, upgrade, downgrade, or cancel. We need to keep our thinking on money to an absolute minimum. We need to keep our focus on Surya as we need the sattva and the pure agni for jyotish, otherwise, who knows what this software will turn into.

† We do give discounts to sanyasi or those who live in ashrams as that is the appropriate action

What payments do you accept?

Our payment provider, Paddle, currently accepts Paypal and credit card.

Paddle provides customer service inquiries and handles returns. All fees are inclusive of all taxes, levies, or duties imposed by taxing authorities. Paddle will collect those taxes on behalf of taxing authority and remit those taxes to taxing authorities. See Paddle’s Terms of Use for details.

How easy is it to upgrade, downgrade, or cancel?

We’ve tried to make this as easy as possible.

After you’ve subscribed, on the account page you will see two buttons:

  1. Change plan
  2. Edit/cancel payment

If you are upgrading, there will be an immediate charge which is pro-rated against your current plan. Your new billing cycle starts on the day of upgrade.

If you are downgrading, there will be a credit and your following payments will be $0 until the balance of your credit has been used.

If you cancel the service before the end of your current paid up period, your cancellation will take effect at the end of the current billing cycle, and you will not be charged again.

In addition, you can request a refund of the unused prorated portion within 30 days of the transaction.

What happens to my data if I downgrade or cancel?

Under no circumstances, will your data be lost.

If you are a subscriber, no data will be deleted unless you delete it yourself. However, features and data access will be limited by the plan you’ve chosen.

If you have cancelled your account and it hasn’t been used for 2 years, we’ll send you a backup your data and ask if you would like to delete your account. If there is still no usage after a year, your account may be scheduled for deletion. If you choose to rejoin, you can re-import the backup.

There’s an import, but can I export my data?

You can take a backup of your data on the account page.

Why is there no lifetime purchase option?

We’d love to offer a one-time payment, however, as we operate on the cloud, we pay for storage, backups, cpu, memory, and network costs every month. That is why, like most cloud software, the best fit for purchasing Deva Guru is a subscription.

But even for non-cloud software, a single payment is not realistic. In the older way of distributing software, you don’t get new features and bugfixes immediately. Not only do you have to wait for the updates, the software maker charges you money for the upgrade which includes the fixes/features.

Moreover, there is usually very limited support for older versions, so “lifetime” software usually means only the last major version is supported. There is, in a sense, a bait and switch which occurs, as the customer believes they are paying up front for a “lifetime” of software use, when in fact, they will be compelled to pay for an upgrade or to buy an altogether new version in a few years.

For example, even operating systems have lifetimes. Apple’s newest release of MacOS Ventura only supports hardware after 2017. Android only supports hardware for up to 3 years. Windows 10 was released in 2015 and only has support until 2023-06-13 and Windows 11 will not run on older machines as it has a hardware requirement for a TPM (trusted platform module).

Privacy Answers

What is your privacy policy?

The author values their privacy, isn’t on any social media platform, and doesn’t really talk to anyone. Unless you explicitly share your data, it remains private. The payment process is handled by a third-party payment provider. If you choose to upgrade to a paid plan, the billing information and the payment process is handled by Paddle. See the Paddle Privacy Policy for full details.

Will you show ads?

No.

Will you sell my information?

No.

Muhurta Answers

What are the inauspicious yogas?

These are the Vara-Tithi yogas that are from Muhurta Chintamani that are being calculated.

Weekday Tithi Yoga
Sunday & Tuesday Nandā (1, 6, 11) Mṛtyu
Monday & Friday Bhadrā (2, 7, 12) Mṛtyu
Wednesday Jayā (3, 8, 13) Mṛtyu
Thursday Riktā (4, 9, 14) Mṛtyu
Saturday Pūrṇā (5, 10, 15) Mṛtyu
Sunday Dvādaśī Dagdha
Monday Ekādaśī Dagdha
Tuesday Pañcamī Dagdha
Wednesday Tṛtīyā Dagdha
Thursday Ṣaṣṭhī Dagdha
Friday Aṣṭamī Dagdha
Saturday Navamī Dagdha
Sunday Caturthī Viṣa
Monday Ṣaṣṭhī Viṣa
Tuesday Saptamī Viṣa
Wednesday Dvitīyā Viṣa
Thursday Aṣṭamī Viṣa
Friday Navamī Viṣa
Sunday Dvādaśī Hutāśana
Monday Ṣaṣṭhī Hutāśana
Tuesday Saptamī Hutāśana
Wednesday Aṣṭamī Hutāśana
Thursday Navamī Hutāśana
Friday Daśamī Hutāśana
Saturday Ekādaśī Hutāśana
Sunday Dvādaśī Krakaca
Monday Ekādaśī Krakaca
Tuesday Daśamī Krakaca
Wednesday Navamī Krakaca
Thursday Aṣṭamī Krakaca
Friday Saptamī Krakaca
Saturday Ṣaṣṭhī Krakaca
Sunday Saptamī Saṁvarta
Wednesday Pratipat Saṁvarta

Panchang Answers

What is a panchang?

A panchang is an Indian calendar which has traditional units of timekeeping based on the position of both the sun and moon. Western calendars are only based on the position of the sun. From the position of the sun and moon, five different attributes of time are calculated and displayed on the calendar.

What are the five attributes of time?

The five attributes of time are:

How are the holidays calculated?

Currently, the holidays are a work in progress as they are all calculated from the sunrise tithi. Some holidays, such as shivaratri, need to be calculated from the night. Consult with your local pundit for any discrepancies.